Manufacturing and Packaging

Now that the music is recorded it's time to make it look good. Depending on your objectives, you have many options in this area. You can do it yourself by creating your artwork in a variety of programs and printing your own labels and booklets along with burning your own CDs. This is a good route for a demo release to assist in getting gigs and giving away to your friends and potential fans. If you want to sell them in record stores, this is not an acceptable industry format. For professional, distributable product, you need to have it professionally replicated and packaged with printed booklets and traycards. The product also needs to have a UPC Barcode, which many replication companies offer in their packages or you can obtain one from The Colorado Music Association - www.coloradomusic.org - if you are a member.

In my experience, I have found the graphics end of the manufacturing process to be the most issue-oriented. It is in the best interest of the project to hire a designer who is familiar with the process and specifics of setting up the artwork in the correct programs with the correct image resolution and appropriate bleeds. Many less experienced designers run into multiple problems throughout the process and inevitably delay the project from going to print. It's a matter of budget though. Having a buddy who will do it for free or next to nothing sometimes out weighs hiring an experienced designer that can charge anywhere from $300 - $2000 for the design and layout of the package. Price is often dependent on the amount of panels on the booklet along with the illustration and photo manipulation involved.

Once you have your graphics you now need to find somebody to manufacture it for you. You have several choices in Colorado as well as endless options nationally. The majority of companies pressing and packaging CDs create the same quality finished product. The end result is 99% determined by the materials supplied by the artist/client. You will find pricing differences from company to company which often relate to additional backend services, if any, and may be beneficial to you as an artist. It's my recommendation to use someone locally that you can deal with on a personal level and build a relationship with. Using companies that advertise dirt-cheap packages in the back of industry magazines and on the Internet typically produce more headaches for the project and limit some of the opportunities you may have had locally. Cheaper does not equal better. Paying too much does not equal better either. How much do 1000 retail ready CDs cost? Anywhere from $1400 - $3000 depending on how elaborate your packaging is.

Research your options in regards to graphics and replication. This area is a crucial step in the development of your project.